


The Flight Home

by frangipani_flowers



Category: Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Reality, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Flight Attendants, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, I'm Bad At Titles, It's comforting that so many of these are already tags, M/M, Meet-Cute, Pointless fluff, Whichever one it is that means they aren't in space and I feel like there's a difference
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-23
Updated: 2016-12-23
Packaged: 2018-09-11 10:38:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8976334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frangipani_flowers/pseuds/frangipani_flowers
Summary: It's the last flight of the day for the cabin crew, and the passenger in 21E is having some trouble not calling for assistance.I’m a flight attendant and you’re accidentally hitting the call button every 5 minutes so you’re lucky you’re so cute au





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the prompt _"I’m a flight attendant and you’re accidentally hitting the call button every 5 minutes so you’re lucky you’re so cute au"_
> 
> I'm super nervous about sharing this, especially as it's un-betaed. All mistakes are my own; make of it what you will!

The first time the call light came on for seat 21E, Obi-Wan smiled at Adi and left her unpacking the drinks service on her own to go and deal with it. The seat’s occupant, it turned out, was a (rather attractive) older white man with long hair. He also seemed rather too tall for the seat, all long arms and legs.

Obi concealed a small, private smile. The passenger was doing his best to look calm and serene, but this was hardly Obi’s first flight, and he could see him shifting unconsciously in his seat in search of a more comfortable position.

“Good evening, sir. Can I be of any assistance?”

Slightly surprised blue eyes turned up to him. Obi-Wan felt a sudden urge to smooth his jacket, feeling suddenly exposed to scrutiny. Which was, of course, ridiculous. This was his job, and he was good at it, and he was most certainly not shy. And his uniform was always pristine, anyway.

He also took solace in the fact that the man seemed more off-balance that he felt.

“I don’t think so,” the gentleman smiled up at Obi-Wan. “Thank you for asking.”

Obi-Wan blinked. “Oh. All right, then – and just press the button again if that changes.” He gave the man a smile in return.

“I’m sorry, but… the button?”

“Yes, sir. The call button for cabin crew.” He gestured to the buttons set into the nose of the arm rest. “Press it again if you need anything.”

The man looked distinctly embarrassed now. “I’m very sorry, I didn’t see it. My mistake entirely, I’m so sorry to have accidentally called you.”

Obi-Wan smiled. “It happens more than you might think. They aren’t placed very sensibly on this particular model, I always think. Don’t worry about it.”

The crow’s feet around the passenger’s eyes crinkled pleasantly as he smiled again, and Obi-Wan returned to the galley.

He felt a slight twinge of regret. Given another situation… he would have liked to have got to know the man with the smiling blue eyes better.

Obi-Wan was not to know, but he was going to get the opportunity to do just that.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

About ten minutes later, the call button rang again. Obi-Wan went to answer it cheerfully enough, but as he approached he realised that not only was this the same passenger as before, he once again seemed utterly oblivious to the attendant’s approach. The businessman beside him saw him, though, and closed his eyes as if in pain.

Obi-Wan braced his shoulders and put on his best I-am-here-to-help-even-if-you’re-utterly-incompetent smile.

“Is there anything I can help you with, sir?”

“Thank you….” The eyes focused on Obi-Wan’s name badge. “Obi-Wan. I’m very sorry for the inconvenience.”

“That’s quite all right, –”

“Qui-Gon,” the man supplied. “And I’ll do my best not to bother you again!”

 

~~~~~~~

 

This time, Qui-Gon saw him coming. Were it not for the helpless, mortified look on the man's face, Obi might have thought that this was some sort of practical joke - it certainly wouldn't be the first time that a bored passenger kept him running for the fun of it. Not that Qui-Gon quite fitted the type either, of course, being neither under 25 nor accompanied by giggling friends.

It was that made him take pity on the older man, and change what might have otherwise been an exasperated tone into something rather more like rueful amusement.

“Can I help you, sir?”

“I’m sorry, I just…” The man’s hands twitched as though he was restraining himself from gesturing apologetically at Obi-Wan. The businessman on the aisle side gave him a suspicious look out of the corner of his eyes that made Obi press his lips together to keep a straight face.

“Couldn't you just ignore any calls I make? I'm so sorry to be inconveniencing you like this.”

Obi smiled. “I appreciate the thought, but it's my job; I can’t ignore it. It could be something important, after all.”

Qui-Gon’s answering smile looked as if he was in some pain.

Adi met Obi-Wan as he reached the galley.

“You liiiiiike him,” she teased her friend quietly. “You liiiiiike him, or you’d have been all cold and disapproving. You actually _smiled_ , and this is the third time he’s accidentally called you in half an hour!”

“Adi…”

“What’s this?” Garen came in to drop off the trolley from the far end of the plane. “Obi not politely destroying someone who keeps calling pointlessly? It must be looooooove…”

Obi-Wan eyed him with disfavour, but he had already pushed past the curtain and headed back to the rear, where no doubt Siri and the others would be delighted to hear all the nonsense Garen was going to come out with. His colleagues could, and would, think what they liked. And if Obi-Wan did have a soft spot for the awkward giant in 21E… well, that was no-one’s business but his own.

 

~~~~~~~~~

 

“We've got to stop meeting like this,” Obi-Wan quipped as he came to a halt beside row 21.

He was sure he heard the big man whimper.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

The  next time he appeared, the aisle seat next to his new friend was empty. Qui himself was fumbling with a collection of folders and what looked like paperwork. When he looked up and saw Obi-Wan his face was a picture of dismay, though the apologetic smile he followed it was paired with a very warm look from those blue, blue eyes.

As he left, he noticed that the previously empty seat near the toilet was now occupied by the businessman who had been next to Qui.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

When the call button lit up five minutes later, and he saw Qui still trying to arrange himself without disturbing the sleeping neighbour on his other side, Obi-Wan cleared his throat quietly.

“Sir, this seat is vacant. Might I suggest you take this one?”

Qui-Gon just looked weary this time.

“Oh, again? I'm sorry. And now I'm driving people away from their seats, too.”

“Not at all,” Obi-Wan lied smoothly. He thought Qui-Gon probably _was_ the reason why the businessman switched seats, but there was no reason for him to work himself up over it. “One of my colleagues tells me he ran into an acquaintance on board and wanted to move closer to them.” True, and true. Just not quite the whole story.

With nothing else to require his presence, Obi-Wan lingered a little while to talk quietly with the older man. Adi could fetch him if he was needed, after all.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

As the seat belt signs lit up, there was a call from 22C. Obi was a little taken aback for a moment - apparently his initial response to a call in that area was to assume it was Qui trying to pin his table up, or return the armrests to the downward position or something equally simple that he couldn't manage without accidentally calling for help. He thought he could probably be forgiven the mistake, though, since this call was only one seat back and ten minutes without being inadvertently summoned was an unprecedented record for this flight. He was surprised to find that he was actually a little disappointed not to have an excuse to speak to Qui-Gon again. Knowing his luck, the passenger would be calling with the sort of trouble that would make the last few minutes of the flight difficult for the crew.

The passenger calling was an older woman, who Obi-Wan would have placed as being about sixty. Interestingly, she also didn't look as though she was expecting him to be coming over. Normally, people tended to either crane their necks to watch the host or hostess approach or overcompensated and pretended to be totally wrapped up in whatever it was. Especially if they had a complaint _. Maybe an inability to not accidentally set off the call buttons was catching_ , Obi speculated idly as he began to walk down the gangway.

Involuntarily, his gaze slid to the tall figure folded awkwardly into the seat in front, just as Qui-Gon looked up and caught sight of him.

An interesting mix of emotions passed across the narrow, lined face that Obi couldn't quite parse. As Obi drew almost level with him, Qui exclaimed,

“Oh no, I _definitely_ didn't press it this time. I've not moved since you left! Is this some sort of joke?”

Ah, frustration, then - and a little hurt, if the last part rang true. Obi-Wan couldn't have that. He also chose not to examine that conclusion too closely.

“No - the lady behind you called for cabin crew,” he responded, shifting his focus to smile slightly at her.

“I. .. oh, forces.” A deep flush crept up the man's neck and settled over his face. “I'm so sorry. I'll just…”

Obi-Wan was about to respond to him but he remembered why he was there. He returned his attention (temporarily, he assured himself firmly) to the older lady.

“Can I help you with anything, madam? Any questions?”

She beamed at Obi cheerfully.

“Oh, never mind me, dearie. But I think the gentleman might have something.” She looked a bit too innocent, eyes twinkling ferociously.

Beginning to think that this old lady was more trouble than he had expected she would be, Obi looked inquiringly at Qui. He had twisted his upper body around in his seat to look accusingly in her direction, but as Obi looked he turned back and blinked rapidly, his face instantly regaining whatever colour it had lost.

“I. .. I'm sorry, and I don't want to make your job difficult, but would it be all right if I  were to -”

Obi waited, wondering if this were really happening to him. It couldn't be - this just didn't _happen_ , this was the sort of thing people dreamt up in romantic comedies and never happened in real life. This was film stars in Notting Hill bookshops and lunatic rendezvous in New York territory. If it were happening. Which it wasn't. It was going to be a request for something from the bar. Or paper napkins. Probably napkins.

Just as the older man was about to remind Obi of how important it was to not allow fictions to contaminate reality, a low cool note sounded as the seat belt lights came on.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we will be landing shortly. Please ensure that all electronic devices are switched off and that all personal items have been placed securely in the overhead lockers…”

Obi-Wan closed his eyes for a moment. Of course.

He looked helplessly down at Qui,  but before he had a chance to say anything the man was waving him away.

“Please, don't let me keep you. I'm sorry to interrupt you while you're working.”

Obi could have argued - this seemed to be a sign in favour of his wildly improbable hopes - but he had a job to do, and he set to it. As he turned to join the rest of the crew at the front of the cabin, he his eye was caught by Qui looking down, one big palm over his face with the older lady reaching forward to part at his shoulder consolingly.

The glimpse he had caught of that tableau stayed with him in his mind’s eye throughout the landing sequence, the subsequent spontaneous applause and the taxiing to the terminal. Had he upset Qui somehow? Had he genuinely needed something but been too awkward to ask? Was the man all right? He was so preoccupied he didn't even hear Chris’ signing off over the PA, and only remembered to move when Adi nudged him hard in the ribs as she unbuckled her own seat belt.

“Get a move on, Kenobi, no-one wants to be here all night.” She halted for a moment, and rested her slim hand on his shoulder. “Are you all right there?”

Obi-Wan smiled at her, quickly gathering his thoughts and standing up.

“It’s fine, Adi,” he reassured her.

“Ah, so you’re mooning over your new boyfriend, then?” she teased. “You’ve not been able to stay away all flight.” She flapped a hand at him when he went to speak. “And don’t tell me it was the same as any other flight; you don’t seem to have minded being called every five minutes!”

Obi-Wan rearranged his jacket with some dignity. “Don’t be ridiculous,” he replied, turning away to give his full attention to the business of disembarking. It was exactly as hurried and impatient as always, passengers eager to escape and get through Passport Control as quickly as possible with the everyone-for-themselves attitude of people who no longer had their travel times dependent on something outside their control. Obi-Wan had hoped that he would be able to snatch at least a brief encounter with Qui-Gon as the passengers disembarked, but he had been called upon to retrieve the contents of a large bag of shopping from one of the overhead lockers. Its owner, a tiny, withered old lady who didn’t look tall enough to reach the light controls, let alone the locker, closely supervised the hunting down of her possessions, and by the time he had hobbled tetchily away, Obi-Wan could see no sign of the tall man.

 

~~~~~~~~~

 

The final security check of the day went faster than usual, and Chris had given permission for the crew to disembark and waved them off with a cheery, “Thanks, have a good one, guys!” Obi had waved to Bant, a friend of his who was coming on duty with the next crew, and beat a hasty retreat. With the crew chatting around him as they walked, Obi-Wan had already begun to absently turn his mind to the journey home and the contents of his fridge, mentally groaning at his prospects. As they  left the crew room, however, Adi held him back with a hand on his arm and a wicked smirk.

“Hold on there, Obi - I think you’ve got someone waiting for you.”

Obi-Wan blinked at her, thrown out of his thoughts, and turned in the direction of her meaning look.

“What are you talking about? I’ve not got… oh!”

There was a tall figure, standing patiently by the wall a hundred metres or so away. Qui-Gon looked up as he stood staring, and smiled warmly at him. Obi-Wan felt himself flush and turned to his co-workers, who were beginning to smirk at him.

“Oh… Excuse me, I… I should…”

“I think you’d better,” Garen nodded seriously, tone belied by the massive grin he had on his face. “You wouldn’t want to keep him waiting or anything.”

“Especially when he’s been on such a long flight,” Adi put in, in such a mock-sympathetic tone that Obi couldn’t help snorting slightly around his embarrassment. “You’d better go and see if you can… help him with anything.”

This latest sally brought on a fresh round of winks and smirks. Obi-Wan decided that this made it perfectly reasonable for him to leave his friends behind with only a narrowed look to say goodbye. Far from discouraged, they wolf-whistled at him as he walked, slightly awkwardly, over towards Qui-Gon, who seemed unfairly serene to Obi-Wan given the circumstances.

He really was tall, Obi thought absently, looking up at the older man. Seeing him at his full height, he was surprised Qui-Gon hadn’t had more trouble, really.

“Your friends are… certainly enthusiastic,” Qui-Gon observed, in his calm tones. Seeing as Garen was still hooting loudly, this seemed like a bit of an understatement.

“They are,” Obi-Wan turned and glared at them, until eventually Siri took pity on him and pulled the hooting and laughing group away towards the exit. He looked back into the blue eyes and cleared his throat.

“You waited.”

“Yes. I… well, I was sorry not to say goodbye to you. And I wanted to ask something.”

The only slight indication that he was at all discomfited was a faint flush on his neck, and Obi allowed himself the momentary distraction of wondering if the skin beneath the faint dusting of  travel stubble there was as soft as it looked.

“You probably just want to draw a line under this whole thing and forget that I exist, but you've been so patient and I was wondering if you might allow me to buy dinner to say thank you.”

Obi had listened to this short speech with mingled amusement, fondness and disbelief at his good luck. Qui-Gon’s voice had been steady and, besides the slightly rambling sentence he had seemed quite serene. But the flush had darkened slightly. He smiled brilliantly up at the older man.

“I would love to, Qui-Gon. When would you like?”

“Well, unless you want to be getting home, you have just finished work for the evening, correct?” He held out one of his large hands to Obi-Wan. “Shall we?”

Obi-Wan felt his smile grow even wider as he reached out to take it. It was his turn to blush slightly as he felt his slighter fingers enveloped by Qui’s own.

 _Maybe_ , Obi-Wan allowed himself to muse, _just maybe, this sort of thing_ did _happen, after all_.

**Author's Note:**

> Terrible title taken from the (supposed) saying "The friendliest stewardesses are those on the trip home" which should probably add on that the friendliest people are probably also the ones that have to deal with the fewest arseholes at the same time. Apologies also to anyone who actually has any idea about the job done by flight attendants and cabin crew, since I've probably made all the mistakes!


End file.
